Shears and other tool.



PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

J. M. SWEET. SHEARS AND OTHER TOOL. APPLICATION FILED NOV.15,1905.

2 SHEETS- 81111111 1.

PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

J. M. SWEET. SHEARS AND OTHER TOOL.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

. shear blades to the handles.

. UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

JOHN M. SWEET, OF BATAVIAQNEW YORK.

SHEARS AND o'rmaa'roon.

Specification of Letters Patent. J Application filed November 15.1905.Serial No. 287.487.

' Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

for trimming lawns, shrubbery, &c., but is,

also applicable to other tools having pivoted members or jaws, such, forinstance, as

tongs, wrenches, pliers, punches and the.

like.

The object of the invention is to rovide such tools with jointed handlesenab in the pivoted members thereof to be set an operated either in theplane of the handles or at any desired angle to the plane of thehandles, thereby adapting the tools for ready use in places where itwould be impossible or very awkward to use tools in which the operativeportions of the pivoted members bear a fixed relation to their handles.1

An especial object'oi' the invention is to produce shears having longjointed handles enabling a person while standing in a natural easyosition to use the shears for trimming the e( es of-lawns. I

In t e accom anying drawings, consisting of two sheets: igure 1 is aplan view of a pair of shears embodying the invention.

ig. 2 is a fragmentary plan partly in section, on an enlarged scale,thereof, showing the shears open. Fi 3 is a fragmentary side elevationthereo illustrating, by full and broken lines, different adjustments ofthe blades. Fig. 4 is afragmentary sectional elevation thereof, showinthe an ular position of the blades as in ig. 3. ig. 5 is a section, onan enlarged scale in line 55, Fig. 1, of the universal joints connectingthe Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation in line 6-6, Fi 2, of one-ofthejoints connecting the shear lades to. the handles. Figs. 7 and 8 arefragmentary plan views of different types of tools provided with theangularly adjustable blades.

'Like letters .of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.

In the toolsembodying this invention the pivoted blades, jaws or membersof the tools are connected to ivoted operating handle levers, by jointsw 'ch enable the tool members to be set either in the plane of the handle levers or in a plane at an angle to the lane'of the handles and tobe operated with acility in either adjustment. The invention isapplicable to tools in which the pivoted members thereof act as leversof the difierent classes, and to such tools whether the pivoted membersthereof do or do not cross each other. I

Referri particularly to Figs. 16, A.A represent t 0 two blades of apair'of shears, the blades being in this construction fixed to arms awhich are pivoted together at their rear ends in any suitable .manner,for mb? a screw or the like I). 0 represents stance, handle vers for ocrating the blades. These levers instead 0 being r1 id extensions of theblade arms, as in or 'nary shears, cross each-other and are pivotallyconnected in any suitable manner at c, the handle levers having frontarms 0 which straddle the blade arms and are connected to the latter infront of the connecting pivot b of. the blades parts (i d. pivotedtogether by a swivel pin "or'rivet d rand pivoted-at o posite ends toone of the blade arms and t e front arm of the adjacent handle lever, asby pins or rivets d andd, respectively. When the blades are set in thenormal position shown in Fi s.

1 and 2, that is in the same plane with t e handlelevers, the inner andouter ivots d and d of the swivel links are para lel with each other andalso with both of the connecting pivots band 0 for. the'blades andhandle levers, but when the blades are set in a lane at an angle to theplane of the hand e levers, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the inner partsof the swivel links turn on the outer parts thereof and the inner pivotsd? are turned at an angle to the outer pivots (1 The inner ivots (ijoining the swivel links to the bla es are, however, always parallelwith the connecting pivotb of' the blades,

while the outer pivots d joining the swivel:

links and handle levers are always parallel with the connectin pivotsfor said handle levers. The swive "joints thus constructed of the partsivoted toeach other and to the blades and iiandle levers enable theactuation of the blades when set in a plane at an angle to the plane ofthe handle levers, although the inner pivots. (1 swing in arcs in aplane at an angle toxthe plane of the arcs in which the outer pivots (1swing. Without this or some analogous universal connection between theblades and the handle levers the blades would not swing on their pivotwhen set at an angle to the lane of the handle 5 levers, owing to the dierent arcs 1n which the handle levers and blades swin Prefcrably the twoparts of each swivel hnk have flat abutting disks d which are held inclose contact by the swivel pin, and offer sufiicient frictionalresistance to the turmng of the parts of the swivel links on each otherto retain the blades in the angular posltlon in which they are set.

To producethe roper action of the blades when set in the the swivellinks s ould be held rigid w th the blades or with the handle levers andnot be allowed to swing on both the blades and the handle levers. Themeans employed for this purpose, in the constructlon shown in Figs. 1-6,consist of lugs e which pro ect from the blade arms a in between thefrictlon' disks (1 of the inner parts of the-swivel links and lugs eprojecting inwardly fromthe rear sidesof the outer'parts of the swivelllnks. These parts bearing against each other hold the swivel links riid with the blades and thus retain the'blades centrally between thefront arms of the handle levers and prevent the shifting of thebladeswhich would otherwise occur. When the blades are set at an angleto the handles the lugs e on the bladearms are moved out ofengagementwlth the codperating lugs e on the swivel hnks and so do notprevent the actuation of the blades. The blade arms a are preferablyprovided with cooperating stops f f which dpro ect from each arm towardthe other an strike to limit the. elosing movement of the blades.

In the construction shown Figs. 1-6 and above described, the shearblades do not cross, but are pivoted at their rear ends and the handlelevers are connected to the blades in front of their pivot, the bladesthus acting ments are adapted to other kinds of shears, and two othertypes of shears embodying the invention are illustrated in Figs. 7 and8.

shear blades A are carried by arms which cross and are pivoted betweentheir ends at gin any suitable manner. In this embodiment of theinvention the handle levers C are crossed and pivoted, as in the otherconstruction, and are connected to the ends of the blade arms by swivellinks D similar to the swivel links before described. As the swivellinks join the blade arms in rear of their connecting pivot, however,the interlocking lugs h h on the blade arms and swivel links, forholding the links rigid with the blade arms when the blades are set inthe lane of the handle levers, as before described: are located at thefront side, instead of at the rear side, of the 65 swivel links. Theshears shown in this figure ane of the handle levers,

as levers of the third class, but the improve- In the construction shownin Fig. 7, the

are of the kind used for pruning and the blades are of the shape usualin such shears, but it will be manifest that the shape of the blades isnot an essential element.

Fi 8 shows still another construction in whic the shear blades A arepivoted between their ends atz' but do not cross, and in which thepivoted handle levers C also do not cross. In this embodiment the frontarms of the handle levers extend between the rear arms of the blades, towhich they are connected by swivel links D As in this construction theblades connect with the outer ends of the swivel links, the interlockingIn s 7: k for holding the swivel links rigid with t e blade are arrangedrespectively. on the ends of the blade arms and on the rear side of theinner parts of the swivel links.

While only sheari tools have been illustrated and specifieal y describedherein, it should be perfectly apparent that the invention is also aplicableto other tools havi pivoted memliers re ardless of theparticular use to which the too s are put.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of pivoted tool members, pivoted handle leverstherefor, and swivel connections'between said tool members and saidhandle levers whereby the tool members can be turned to a plane at an 95angle to the plane of the handle levers, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of pivoted tool members, pivoted handle leverstherefor, and connections between said tool members and said handlelevers having swivel joints formed therein whereby the tool members canbe turned to a plane at an angle to theplane of the handle levers,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of pivoted tool members, pivoted handle leverstherefor, and links pivoted to said tool members and said handle leversand connecting'the same, said links being provided with swivel jointsbe- 110 tween thelr points of attachment thereto whereby said toolmembers can be turned to a plane at an angle to the plane of said handlemembers, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of pivoted tool members, pivoted handle leverstherefor, links ivoted to said tool members and said handle levers andconnecting the same, said links being provided with swivel jointsbetween their points of attachment thereto whereby '120 said toolmembers can be turned to a plane at an an le to the plane of said handlemembers, and means for holding said links rigid with one of the parts towhich they are'connected when the tool members and the handle levers areset in the same plane, substantially as set forth; I

. 5. The combination of pivoted tool members, pivoted handle leverstherefor, links pivoted to said tool members and said handlelevers andconnecting the same, said links being tween then points of attachmentthereto [whereby said tool members can be turned to le to the plane ofsaid han-' a plane at an a dle members, an parts on said links and saidtool members ada ted to interlock to hold said links rigid t erewithwhen said tool members and said handle levers are set in the same lane,substantially as set forth.

6. he combination of pivoted tool members, pivoted hand levers therefor,and links connecting said tool members with said hand provided withswivel joints be-v levers and consisting of opposite end portions getherby swivel joints whereby said end portions are capable of rotarymovement relative to each other, substantially as set forth.

.Witness my hand, this 4th day of Novem- 20 E. B. PERRY, C. H. BERG-MAN.

ivoted to said tool members and said 15 hand evers respectively andconnected to- I

